How To Keep A Newborn Up During The Day

Establishing Routine With A Newborn

How To Keep A Newborn Awake During The Day

Newborn babies will sleep on and off throughout the day and night. It can be helpful to have a pattern, but you can always change the routine to suit your needs. For example, you could try waking your baby for a feed just before you go to bed in the hope that you’ll get a long sleep before they wake up again.

Put Your Sleepy Baby To Bed

Starting when your baby is 6 to 12 weeks old, soothe them until they are drowsy. When they are on the verge of sleep, put them down and let them drift off on their own. Don’t wait until they are fully asleep in your arms this could be a behavior that may become a struggle to get rid of later in their life.

This routine will teach your baby to soothe themselves to sleep, and you won’t need to rock or cuddle them to sleep every time they wake up during the night.

If your baby has trouble settling down, try moving their bedtime earlier, not later. Being overtired can make it hard to nod off.

Feed Your Baby Every 25 To 35 Hours During The Day

If possible, try to establish a cycle where your baby wakes up and eats immediately . Then baby would remain awake to complete the 60 minutes of wake time. Followed by sleep for some amount of time. Then, of course, waking and eating again. This is a great way to ensure your kiddo gets as many calories during the day as possible, and hopefully sleeps longer stretches at night.

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Safe Sleeping Where Should Your Baby Sleep

It’s up to you where your baby sleeps, but it is recommended that babies sleep in a cot in the same room as an adult for the first 6 to 12 months, since this has been shown to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome .

Always place a baby to sleep on their back with the head and face uncovered every time they sleep, night or day. Keep the room smoke-free.

Your Baby Doesnt Know If Its Night Or Day

How To Keep Baby Awake While Breastfeeding

Some babies start sleeping on whats called a day/night reversal schedule. Your baby sleeps well during the day, but is awake and busy at night. Its frustrating and exhausting, but its temporary.

Here are a few things you can do to help your baby learn that day is for play and night is for rest:

  • Keep them awake a little longer during each waking period during the day. This will help increase the need for sleep later. Some sleep experts recommend playing with your baby for a few minutes after a feeding instead of letting your baby fall asleep.
  • Get your baby outside and in the sun . Natural light helps reset their internal clock. If you cant get outside, place your babys crib or sleeper near a window that gets steady, bright light.
  • Avoid sleep-inducing activities, if at all possible, during the day. Dont fight your babys need to sleep. But if you can keep them out of the car seat for a bit, that extra time awake will help them later.
  • Keep lights low or turn them out at night anywhere near babys sleeping area. Likewise for sound and movement. Your goal should be zero disruptions.
  • Consider swaddling your baby at night so their arms and legs dont move and wake them. You can also try putting them to sleep in a small crib, so they feel snug and secure.

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Your Baby’s Sleeping Position

Always put your baby to sleep on their back with their feet touching the end of the cot.

Do not let your baby sleep while lying on their tummy. Babies who sleep on their tummies have a higher risk of cot death. You can give your baby some tummy time when they are awake.

If your baby always lies with their head in the same position they might develop a flat head. This is called plagiocephaly.

You can help prevent this when putting your baby down to sleep on their back. When they are lying flat, you can alternate their head position so that sometimes they face left and sometimes they face right.

Keep Wake Times To A Minimum

Wake times matter much less after the age of about 4 to 5 months, but they mean everything to a newborn. Keep those newborns awake for about 50 to 60 minutes , and then start to get them ready for a nap. A great routine: swaddle baby, take them to their room with darkness and white noise, and actively try to get them down for a nap.

Ideal wake times range depending on the age of your newborn and time of day. In a nutshell, the younger they are, the less time theyll be able to stay comfortably awake . And as they get older, awake time can stretch to as long as 90 minutes.

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When You Need To Wake Your Newborn To Feed

A lot of what you read will tell you to feed your baby on demand. Meaning, follow their cues as theyll let you know when theyre hungry ! But there are times when it is either necessary or helpful to wake a sleeping baby to feed them.

Never wake a sleeping baby, may seem like sound advice, but there are actually situations where waking your little one up is whats best. Here well cover when youll want to wake your newborn to feed them, how long you can let a newborn sleep without eating and the best way to go about waking your newborn when its time to eat.

Picking Baby Up Whenever They Cry

How to adjust newborn baby’s day and night confusion / teach your baby to sleep at night

Of course, you instinctively want to comfort your baby when they’re whimpering. And for the first six months or so, you should go to them when they cry, so they know you’ll be therebut ideally give them a few minutes to see if they settle back down on their own. However, as babies get older, they discover that they can use tears to their advantage. “A 9-month-old will remember that she put up a fuss last night and Mommy let her play until she fell asleep,” says Dr. Wittenberg.

Solution for Sleep Training Baby

Run through your checklist: Are they hungry? Thirsty? Wet? Sick? If your baby is only crying because you’ve left their side, try the following strategy recommended by Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., a psychologist in Lake Forest, Illinois . When you leave the room, set a timer for five minutes. If your baby is still crying after five minutes, return to them and reassure them they’re okay, then reset the timer. Check back every five minutes until they’re asleep. The next night, set the timer for ten-minute intervals. And so on. By night two or three, your baby should fall asleep more readily. “Crying is part of how babies learn to calm themselves, and it doesn’t mean you’re neglecting her,” says Dr. Lombardo.

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Comparing Your Baby To Their Baby

In every new baby playgroup there is the blessed child who starts sleeping through the night at 4 weeks and takes huge chunky naps during the day. You will look at this well rested, recently showered parent and start to feel like you must have failed in some significant way. You havent, they just got lucky. About 33% of babies are easy they are easily soothed, fall asleep easily, sleep longer with less frequent night wakings, etc. Its just the way of the world. Your baby will get there too. Eventually

If you havent already checked it out, Baby Sleep: What is Normal is also a really great resource on how much sleep babies need by age.

So did I miss any? Feel free to share any stumbles youve had. I promise you, you arent the only one!

Not Sleeping When Baby Sleeps

After a few weeks youll probably notice that there are general times of day when your baby is more likely to sleep in larger chunks. One of the first good chunks to develop is when they go to bed at night . So if you arent going to bed when your baby does, youre missing out on the biggest window of uninterrupted sleep youre likely to get all day. I know the house is a mess, you havent showered in a week, and the grass in your yard is so high that your neighbors 5 year old got lost in there. Forgetaboutit. Go to bed.

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Baby Can Sleep Through Hunger

Most of the time when babies are hungry, they will let you know by crying out loud. But during newborn stage, they might sleep through hunger.

Usually, newborn gives you hunger cues lip smacking, finger sucking and rooting. You want to feed them when they show these signs rather than waiting for them to cry. Feeding them when they show signs of huger, will help them fall back to sleep at night.

When Its Hard To Know What Your Newborn Needs

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There are times when its hard to know what newborns need. For example, you might have tried feeding or putting your baby down for a sleep, but baby still seems unsettled.

If your baby is crying, first check whether baby is sick, hurt or uncomfortable. If not, and if baby has fed in the last two hours, cuddling and comfort are in order. For example, you could try holding your baby in your arms with their head near your chest.

Your newborn will feel safe and secure when you interact with them in warm, loving and responsive ways. You cant spoil your baby by picking them up, cuddling them or talking to them.

If your baby is crying a lot, its very important to look after yourself. Even just five minutes reading a book, walking around the block or doing some meditation can give you a break if youre feeling stressed, anxious or angry. Or sometimes it might help to have another person take over for a while. If you can, ask your partner or a friend or relative to help out.

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When To Contact A Doctor

When in doubt, contact a doctor. Only a doctor can accurately determine the reason that a newborn is sleeping too much. In many cases, a pediatrician may be able to assess the problem over the phone.

Excess sleep in a newborn is not typically an emergency unless they also show signs of respiratory problems. or go to the emergency room if the following apply:

  • The baby is gasping for air or wheezing.
  • The babys breathing is very loud.
  • The babys nostrils flare when they breathe.
  • The skin around the babys ribs sinks in when they breathe.
  • The baby has a fever.
  • The baby may have inhaled, touched, or eaten something toxic.

You Can Help Your Newborn Sleep Better And We Can Help

There are many gentle, newborn-friendly ways that you can help your baby sleep longer stretches, and sleep more regularly and our expert sleep consultants are well-versed in all of them! Reach out to one of our consultants today, and she will craft a newborn-specific Personalized Sleep Plan with recommendations that are designed specifically for your unique baby.

Want more information about how personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers.

Join our VIP Members Area packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! As a VIP member, youll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant and our Ask the Author feature!

Newborns really can sleep long stretches during the day and at night you simply have to use appropriate, gentle techniques to get there! Our newborn e-book, Essential Keys to Your Newborns Sleep, outlines a number of gentle, baby-centered ways you can encourage better sleep from your newborn. Learn how to create sleep-inducing routines and schedules, how to bond and communicate with your newborn, ad more!

Persistent nighttime struggles demand a more intensive approach. Check out The 3 Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night.

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Times To Wake Your Newborn Baby To Feed Them

Waking up your newborn is common practice for new parents to ensure theyre getting enough to eat. Its also advised for breastfeeding mamas so that the baby is at the breast often enough for the body to know to keep producing more milk. In addition to feeding your baby every 3 hours always be sure to keep tabs on other signs that your baby is getting enough to eat.

1.) When Your Doctor Advises It

Before we go over the top reasons why youd want to wake your sleeping baby to feed them, we first want to remind you that what your doctor tells you trumps everything we say. If you are unsure about anything thats going on with your baby, you need to contact your childs pediatrician. They will advise you on whats best for your and your littles unique situation – perhaps asking you to wake your baby more or less frequently than what is typically advised.

3.) To Establish Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. When your baby demands it, your body produces it. In order for your body to keep getting the message that it needs to produce more milk, breastfeeding around the clock is necessary to keep a steady milk supply for your little one. So be sure to wake that baby up to feed every 3 hours in those early weeks. Just remember, you can’t nurse too often!

Let Your Baby Cry It Out

How can I help my baby sleep longer during the night?

One crying-it-out type of sleep training is the well-known Ferber Method, also known as “Progressive Watching” or “Graduated Extinction.” The goal is to teach your baby how to sleep on their own and put themselves back to sleep if they wake up during the night. Richard Ferber, MD, director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children’s Hospital Boston, developed this method. He advises parents not to start this training until their baby is at least 5 or 6 months old. Heres an overview of how its done:

  • Put your baby in their crib — drowsy, but awake. Once you’ve finished their bedtime routine, leave the room.
  • If your baby cries, wait a few minutes before you check on them. The amount of time you wait depends on you and your baby. You might start waiting somewhere between 1 and 5 minutes.
  • When you re-enter your babys room, try to console them. But do not pick them up and do not stay for more than 2 or 3 minutes, even if they are still crying when you leave. Seeing your face will be enough to assure your baby that you are close by so they can eventually fall asleep on their own.
  • If they continue crying, gradually increase the amount of time you wait before going in to check on them again. For instance, if you wait 3 minutes the first time, wait 5 minutes the second time, and 10 minutes each time after that.
  • The next night, wait 5 minutes the first time, 10 minutes the second time, and 12 minutes each time after that.

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